Coronavirus Covid-19: EU Commission approves new contract with Novavax for potential vaccine

“In a time in which new variants of coronavirus are spreading in Europe and across the world, this new contract with a company that is already successfully testing its vaccine against such variants is a further safeguard to protect our population and strengthens our wide portfolio of vaccines, to the benefit of Europeans and of our partners across the world”. This was stated by Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, on the day the European Commission approved its seventh Advance Purchase Agreement with a pharmaceutical company “to ensure access to a potential vaccine against Covid-19 in the fourth quarter of 2021 and in 2022”. Under this contract, the member states will be able to buy up to 100 million doses of the Novavax vaccine, after EMA examines and approves it, and declares it to be safe and effective, with an option for a further 100 million doses in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The member states, as specified by the EU Commission, will also be able to donate such vaccines to low- and medium-income countries or redistribute them among other European countries.
Today’s contract adds up to the portfolio of vaccines that will be manufactured in Europe and that includes the contracts signed with AstraZeneca, Sanofi-GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, BioNtech-Pfizer, CureVac, Moderna and the exploratory talks completed with Valneva. “It is a further, essential step to make sure Europe is well prepared to face the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides adds: “in the EU the vaccination campaign is going on, and we are getting close to the goal of completely vaccinating 70% of the citizens by the end of summer. The new contract with Novavax broadens our portfolio of vaccines to include an additional protein vaccine, a platform that turned out to be promising in clinical tests”. Novavax is a biotechnology company specialising in the development of next-generation vaccines against severe infectious diseases. Its anti-Covid vaccine is already being constantly monitored by EMA with a view to issuing a potential marketing authorisation.
Gigliola Alfaro